Insomnia--Suggestions?

[CzeCze]

Candles are dangerous. They cause fires.

Kekeke, this is true, but mostly if you leave them unattended, near fabric and other flammables, and especially with a draft. I put my candles in large glass containers where the flame couldn't possibly reach over the top and the effect of drafts is moot.

 

[Ezra]

Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. This is the most effective cure for insomnia. As for other details, refer to those who either have been through insomnia or who have an encyclopaedic knowledge of insomnia.
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[developer]

If there is no obvious reason for your lack of sleep (too much caffeine, other stimulants, something very exciting or worrying in your life), you should go and see a physician. Don't worry about your parents, they will be grateful if you seek medical advice.

All the well meant advice in this forum cannot replace a good physical exam and a set of lab tests.

 

[prplchknz]

I've been sleeping maybe it was just a very bizzare week. Plus I think my body decided to be on european time, It would be exhausted during the day but I had stuff to do then wake up at night. I think it finally realized it was in America and as much as it wanted to be in Europe it trying to be in european time wasn't going to make it true.

 

[Sandy]

There's a lot of good advice on this post!

I have suffered from insomnia most of my life (from about 6th grade on). I still suffer from it sometimes, but now it's mostly due to my mind not being able to turn off. I secretly worry that I am going to forget some thing important, so I have learned to "download" or transfer all of my random thoughts onto a steno book that sits on my nightstand.

I do hope you are getting more sleep, prplechknz!

 

[Little Linguist]

Insomnia

Does anyone else here experience insomnia? When?

 

[Jeffster]

Yes, all the time. I'm the poster boy for restless everything syndrome.

 

[Mole]

Insomnia and Neurosis

Does anyone else here experience insomnia? When?

Sleep knits the raveled sleeve of care.

And sleep deprivation is a form of torture.

So not being able to sleep is serious.

And sleep is the last defence against mental breakdown.

So when someone tells me they can't sleep, I always take notice.

However insomniacs are able to sleep. It's just they think they can't.

So insomnia is a form of neurosis.

Insomnia is trying to tell you something, but you haven't been able to listen yet.

And if you don't know how to listen to yourself, you might think of employing a professional therapist to teach you.

 

[Night]

Listen to Victor.

 

[Jeffster]

I know exactly what it tells me, and I do listen, and it doesn't really matter. The bottom line is that I have to effectively exhaust myself both physically and mentally and not allow myself to get my adrenaline going too close to bedtime. Since I have become a parent, I have improved in those areas, but I still have my periods of failure to do so. Especially times like this in the summer when I don't have my son around as much as I do during the school year.

 

[Mole]

I know exactly what it tells me, and I do listen

So, what does it say?

 

[Jeffster]

So, what does it say?

That I have failed that day to do what I said in my last post.

Either that I have not done more relaxing activities (i.e. not the adrenaline-boosting stuff) before bedtime, or I have not been active enough that day, thus not exhausted enough, too much pent up energy.

 

[Mole]

That I have failed that day to do what I said in my last post.

Either that I have not done more relaxing activities (i.e. not the adrenaline-boosting stuff) before bedtime, or I have not been active enough that day, thus not exhausted enough, too much pent up energy.

OK, so what you are telling me is that you have not done the right external activities. Is that correct?

 

[kelric]

....
However insomniacs are able to sleep. It's just they think they can't.

So insomnia is a form of neurosis.

Insomnia is trying to tell you something, but you haven't been able to listen yet.

And if you don't know how to listen to yourself, you might think of employing a professional therapist to teach you.

I don't know about this. Is it a possibility? Sure. But I don't think that it applies to everyone who has trouble sleeping. I know that my Dad had trouble sleeping when he was in his 40's, but he knew exactly why... too much stress at work. But sometimes life doesn't have immediate options for reducing that... and so you have trouble sleeping and do the best you can.

As for myself, I rarely have trouble falling asleep, but wake up probably at least 5-10 times each night, and often can't fall back asleep easily. So I'll wind up getting 4 hours of broken, choppy sleep several times a week (and 6 hours of broken sleep, tops). Sometimes I just give up and get out of bed. I've been to the doctor several times (and given a couple of short-term prescriptions, neither of which did a thing), structured my sleep schedule, made sure I get enough exercise early in the day, etc. and haven't yet found a solution. But it's no fun. Wish I had better advice, but the best I've come up with is "relax and try not to think about it" - which is tough to do when you're lying in bed, tired and yet wide awake.

 

[Little Linguist]

I don't know about this. Is it a possibility? Sure. But I don't think that it applies to everyone who has trouble sleeping. I know that my Dad had trouble sleeping when he was in his 40's, but he knew exactly why... too much stress at work. But sometimes life doesn't have immediate options for reducing that... and so you have trouble sleeping and do the best you can.

As for myself, I rarely have trouble falling asleep, but wake up probably at least 5-10 times each night, and often can't fall back asleep easily. So I'll wind up getting 4 hours of broken, choppy sleep several times a week (and 6 hours of broken sleep, tops). Sometimes I just give up and get out of bed. I've been to the doctor several times (and given a couple of short-term prescriptions, neither of which did a thing), structured my sleep schedule, made sure I get enough exercise early in the day, etc. and haven't yet found a solution. But it's no fun. Wish I had better advice, but the best I've come up with is "relax and try not to think about it" - which is tough to do when you're lying in bed, tired and yet wide awake.

Yes, that is what I mean by "insomnia". Of course I do not mean a total lack of sleep.

 

[Jae Rae]

I disagree that insomnia is always a sign of neurosis. BPD causes bouts of insomnia - a friend of mine has both, with month-long periods of not being able to sleep more than 2 or 3 hours a night.

Many peri- & menopausal women have bouts of insomnia and unless you're a Freudian, hormonal shifts are not considered "neurotic."

 

[Jeffster]

OK, so what you are telling me is that you have not done the right external activities. Is that correct?

External AND internal, but yeah.

 

[Mole]

I don't know about this. Is it a possibility? Sure. But I don't think that it applies to everyone who has trouble sleeping. I know that my Dad had trouble sleeping when he was in his 40's, but he knew exactly why... too much stress at work. But sometimes life doesn't have immediate options for reducing that... and so you have trouble sleeping and do the best you can.

As for myself, I rarely have trouble falling asleep, but wake up probably at least 5-10 times each night, and often can't fall back asleep easily. So I'll wind up getting 4 hours of broken, choppy sleep several times a week (and 6 hours of broken sleep, tops). Sometimes I just give up and get out of bed. I've been to the doctor several times (and given a couple of short-term prescriptions, neither of which did a thing), structured my sleep schedule, made sure I get enough exercise early in the day, etc. and haven't yet found a solution. But it's no fun. Wish I had better advice, but the best I've come up with is "relax and try not to think about it" - which is tough to do when you're lying in bed, tired and yet wide awake.

Sure, you're lying in bed, tired and yet wide awake. You have tried several things such as structuring your sleep, exercising and prescriptions but nothing seems to work.

I can't help noticing all the things you have tried are external to yourself. So perhaps you might think of listening to yourself rather than controlling yourself by external means.

It seems to me you have learnt self control very well and are quite unwilling to give it up for periods of time. After all, when you go to sleep, you are no longer in control, you surrender to your unconscious. And hey, it looks after you quite well.

But you don't want to go to sleep and you don't know why. And you don't want to find out - you don't know how to find out.

So you just keep digging a deeper hole by external means when the answer may well be inside you.

But my guess is you don't want to know.

 

[Mole]

I disagree that insomnia is always a sign of neurosis. BPD causes bouts of insomnia - a friend of mine has both, with month-long periods of not being able to sleep more than 2 or 3 hours a night.

Many peri- & menopausal women have bouts of insomnia and unless you're a Freudian, hormonal shifts are not considered "neurotic."

Studies of insomniacs show that they sleep the same amount as non-insomniacs, but they keep telling us they can't sleep.

There is a disconnect there somewhere.

And that's what a neurosis is.

 

[Mole]

External AND internal, but yeah.

You keep telling me about the external activities you do but you have not told me about any internal activities yet, even though I asked.

It may be you don't know what an internal activity is.